Don Edwards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California | |
| In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | New district (redistricting) |
| Succeeded by | Zoe Lofgren |
| Constituency | 9th district (1963–1975) 10th district (1975–1993) 16th district (1993–1995) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Donlon Edwards (1915-01-06)January 6, 1915 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 1, 2015(2015-10-01) (aged 100) Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (after 1962) |
| Other political affiliations | Republican (before 1962) |
| Alma mater | Stanford University Stanford Law School |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Don Edwards speaks in support of FY1990 appropriations to improve exports Recorded July 11, 1989 | |
William Donlon Edwards (January 6, 1915 – October 1, 2015) was an American politician of theDemocratic Party and a member of theUnited States House of Representatives from California for 32 years in the late 20th century.
Edwards was born inSan Jose, California toRepublican parents. His father and grandfather owned aland title business.[1] After graduating fromSan Jose High School, Edwards earned aB.A. fromStanford University in 1936, where he was member of the Stanford golf team. Edwards then attendedStanford Law School[2] and was admitted to thebar in 1940.
Edwards was a special agent for theFederal Bureau of Investigation from 1940 to 1941, when he joined theUnited States Navy as a naval intelligence and gunnery officer duringWorld War II. In 1950, he was elected president of the California Young Republicans, resigning after joining theUnited World Federalists.[1] Perceiving the Republican Party as becoming too conservative, he became aDemocrat prior to his first congressional election victory in 1962.[2][3] He was the president of Valley Title Company ofSanta Clara County from 1951 to 1975, and a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1964 and 1968.
Edwards was elected as a member of theDemocratic Party to the88th from the 9th Congressional District (later redistricted to the 10th and then the 16th Congressional District) and to the fifteen succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1995). In his first year in the House, Edwards voted to abolish theHouse Un-American Activities Committee. Edwards was involved in the passage of theCivil Rights Act of 1964 and theVoting Rights Act of 1965. Edwards was a member of theHouse Judiciary Committee during the investigation of theWatergate scandal. Edwards opposed the U.S. military involvement in theVietnam War, theinvasion of Panama, and thePersian Gulf War.[2]
Edwards was one of eight members of the Judiciary Committee to vote for all five articles of impeachment drafted against PresidentRichard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. The others wereJack Brooks,Robert Kastenmeier,John Conyers,Barbara Jordan,Charles Rangel,Elizabeth Holtzman andEdward Mezvinsky. Three of the five articles were adopted prior to Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974.
Edwards was one of theHouse impeachment managers appointed by the House of Representatives in 1988 to conduct theimpeachment trial ofAlcee Hastings, judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. However, he was replaced as an impeachment manager before the trial started. However, in 1989, he was appointed and served as a House impeachment manager in the impeachment trial ofWalter Nixon, judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.[4][5] Edwards was the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights for 23 years. Edwards was not a candidate for reelection to the104th Congress.[6] Santa Clara County SupervisorZoe Lofgren, one of his former aides, won a crowded Democratic primary for the seat and still holds it today.
Don Edwards was married three times;[3] he was married to Edith Wilkie Edwards from 1981 until her death in 2011.[7] Heturned 100 in January 2015.[8] He died later that year on October 1, 2015.[1] He was remembered by media outlets as, "a champion of civil and constitutional rights during his three decades on Capitol Hill" and someone who " stood up for women, for workers, for the environment."[9][10]
Edwards received the Congressional Distinguished Service Award in 2003.[2] TheDon Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in the south end ofSan Francisco Bay is named in his honor.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 9th congressional district 1963–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 10th congressional district 1975–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 16th congressional district 1993–1995 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
